Common BLW Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them (Part 1)

Baby Led Weaning (BLW) is a feeding method
that skips puree foods and starts baby on the same solid foods as the rest of
the family. Introducing your baby to solid foods can be a fun yet scary
transition for both you and your little one. But knowing some of the common
feeding mistakes and pitfalls parents and feeding therapists make will help you
have a safe and joyful mealtime with your baby. This blog is Part 1 of a two-part series. Make sure to check out Part 2 shortly!

Starting Too Early: As with most
feeding therapists, I recommend starting solids at about 6 months of age,
depending on the child’s readiness signals. The American Academy of
Pediatrics and the World Health Organization
also encourage parents to wait until 6 months.But some
families are so excited to start baby on solids that they may start too early.
Numerous families I see for feeding therapy started their baby on solids at 3-5
months, resulting in choking episodes and baby refusing to eat solid food
because they associate eating with choking. To avoid this pitfall, here are
some signals that your baby is ready for solid foods:

Has head control to look up, down and to both
sides

Can sit up on their own

Starts to drool when watching you eat

Reaches for your food or drink

Can support themselves without slumping over

Stares at you intently while you are eating

Can grasp objects or food on their own

Brings their hands to their mouth

Tongue thrust reflex is gone

Cleaning and Scraping their Face: Feeding aversions can occur if we constantly clean or scrape a child’s
face during mealtime. Even a quick wipe or a small scrape from a spoon can be
an uncomfortable sensory experience for them. Babies do not like to be distracted by these harsh
facial sensations during their eating experience. Thus, cleanup should wait
until the end of the meal. To avoid this pitfall, here are some tips to make cleanup more fun for both of you while
giving your baby a sign that the meal has ended:

Being Unaware of Portion Size: In
my experience, parents decide to use the BLW feeding method to introduce solid
foods AND as an attempt to avoid picky eating. But this can easily backfire if
parents are unsure about portion sizes. They may
offer too much food and panic when baby does not eat all of it. This can lead
to unhealthy feeding routines (like force-feeding) and can quickly turn baby
into a finicky eater. Thus, it’s important for parents to know the correct
portion sizes for fruits, vegetables, protein and grains for their child’s age
group. Knowing the amount of tablespoons your baby currently needs each day
(and as they grow) will decrease some of the stress you may feel about starting
solids.

When I educate parents about portion sizes, I
often remind them that most medical professionals, including pediatricians,
recommend breastfeeding for the first year of life. This gives parents a
6-month (+) window to continue to breastfeed or bottle feed, while also introducing
solids at the same time. For example, a 6-month-old
baby is drinking breast milk or formula as their primary nutrition. You see
baby showing all the positive signs of readiness for solid foods and you slowly
offer 1-3 tablespoons of food for 1-2 meals a day. Knowing that baby
can explore, play and eat a tiny amount can relieve a parent’s anxiety and
keep feeding expectations realistic. To avoid the pitfall of inaccurate portion
size as your baby grows, check out our book Making Mealtime ezpz for mealtime ideas and more education on serving size.

Not Using a Sectioned Plate:
When I ask parents to give me the amount of solid food their baby is
eating they are usually unsure of the amount. This is totally normal when you
first start solids since most of the food is on baby’s face, under the table
and in their food-catching bib. But after a few weeks baby should be swallowing
more food safely, and knowing the amount you offer on a plate and the amount
they eat becomes key. If parents are using a regular plate, it is difficult for
them to measure portion sizes. Having a sectioned plate like the Mini
Mat can help you keep track of portion sizes.
Each ‘eye’ of the Mini Mat holds 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) and the ‘smile’ holds
4 ounces (8 tablespoons). Remember that some days your baby will eat more and
other days a little less. Keep portion size approximations in mind, which will
help decrease stress and make introducing solids fun for
everyone!

What do you wish you knew before you started
your baby on solids? Share some of your BLW feeding pitfalls with us with the
hashtags #ezpzfun #blw.

Photo Credit: Paul Joyner Photo

Save and Share:

Dawn Winkelmann, M.S, CCC-SLP

Speech Language Pathologist & Feeding Specialist for ezpz

Dawn Winkelmann, a.k.a “Ms. Dawn”, has treated thousands of kids across the globe by helping families overcome picky eating stages and food refusals, while adding new foods into their diet. Her high success rate is attributed to Ms. Dawn bringing her education, experience, sense of humor and her favorite feeding products to the family dinner table.

You will find Ms. Dawn’s expert feeding advice to be positive and fun for the entire family! She adapts complicated feeding/swallowing research and makes it practical and easy for parents! Get ready to learn the science behind your favorite feeding products and ways to bring happy family mealtimes back!